


all reaching for something

by snowsnake



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Allison Hargreeves is a Mom, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Childhood Trauma, Family Feels, Gen, Good Brother Klaus Hargreeves, Good Sister Vanya Hargreeves, Leonard Peabody is a Creep, Luther Hargreeves Redemption, Number Five | The Boy Needs A Hug, Panic Attacks, Protective Diego Hargreeves, Protective Klaus Hargreeves, Protective Siblings, Sibling Bonding, Time Travel, Young Number Five | The Boy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2019-12-30 21:23:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18322253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowsnake/pseuds/snowsnake
Summary: Five was in the apocalypse for an entire year. An entire year of scraping up old canned food and cockroaches to survive. An entire year of grief for his siblings, long dead and buried in the rubble. An entire year of being alone. Then his powers kickstart and he hurls himself into the past, so desperate he forgets to double check the equations.He comes out March 24th, eight days before the apocalypse. At least his siblings are eager to have their brother back?





	1. tore through

It had been 13 months, 12 days, and 11 hours. The wasteland around him was unforgiving, and he hardly had anything to do but scavenge for food and count the seconds as they passed by. He scraped a line in a huge chunk of stone rubble to keep track of the days, his camp itself maybe fifty feet away from his siblings graves. He was unwilling to leave them; he hadn't been able to pull them from the rubble completely for fear of limbs coming off or worse, so he'd used the rubble to pile on top of them as a makeshift mausoleum. He'd carved their names into the stone with sharp rocks. He made honorary graves for Vanya and Ben, too, even though he couldn't find their bodies. He'd searched too, searched for so long. Searched until his fingers bled and he felt faint in the summer heat. 

Winter had come, and with that, his food had depleted. He no longer had canned food and was instead choking down cockroaches and expired dairy. It made him nauseous, but he forced himself to keep it down. He had no mirror, but he could see his reflection in the shattered glass he found along the streets. His face was gaunt, his body more than just wiry. He was wasting away, no survival class his father had forced him to sit through could've ever prepared him for this. 

The snow came with deadlier implications; frostbite, death by freezing, and the fact that he had no winter clothes to protect himself from either of those things. He found a department store nearly standing, and he was quick to get in and out. The roof was unstable and slowly cracking under the pressure of heavy snowfall. It was mostly filled with clothing and useless knickknacks, a Goodwill kind of store, but he found two bags of cashews behind a cashier's desk. They were stale, and he'd like to say he savored them, but they were gone in under two minutes. He picked up a pocket knife from a sales bin and stole a slightly too big winter coat. He grabbed a purple scarf that reminded him of the one Klaus had stolen from Allison in another lifetime.

Five wept over the knife that night, remembering Diego. He slept using the scarf as a pillow, wrapping the coat tightly around himself. 

With Spring came no plants, no warm April showers, no gentle winds. Sand from rubble flew into his eyes, and Five stole a pair of goggles from a car on the outskirts of the city. They were large, the kind scuba divers wore, but they protected him from going blind. He spent most of his time sitting cross-legged beside his sibling's graves, mourning the fact that he could now count every single one of his ribs. He still frantically went over the equations, went over the possibilities. He still wanted, desperately, to go home. His powers weren't working, though, and he was stranded in a world that wanted him dead. 

Five feared that, at fourteen, he'd die beside the graves of his family. He'd go to sleep one night and not wake up the next morning. He'd been there to mourn his brothers and sisters; no one would be alive to mourn him.

Summer came back around, the harsh heat beating down on them daily. He found a mannequin in another store that he stole a short-sleeved shirt from. It was only the top half of one, but he'd seen it and thought someone else had survived. He named her Delores. He went to sleep that last night, dreading the morning when he would wake up and fight for his life all over again.

That didn't happen though. At 13 months, 12 days, and 11 hours, Five Hargreeves woke up to power thrumming at his fingertips. It was like a switch had been flipped, like someone had ignited a fire within him once more. He tried a spatial jump; it worked. He practically tore open the fabric of space and time, forgoing the double-checking of his equations in favor of forcing his small, frail body through the portal. Every joint, muscle, and bone in his body thrummed with sharp, aching hunger pains. He ignored every flash of agony, every black spot that trailed across his vision. Ignoring the swooping sensation as black and blue meshed together and he was thrown across time and space like a soccer ball being punted across a field. He was spat back out, dimly recognizing the academy through his hazy vision, and his heart jerked in his chest.

He was home. He was finally home.

Looking up, he realized he'd been off a couple of years. Well, more than a couple, and his siblings resembled the corpses he'd buried a bit too much for his liking. The ghosts hesitantly gathered closer to him, and he forced himself to stand. His knees trembled. 

"Does...anyone else see little Number Five, or is that just me?" Klaus breathed out, eyes shocked.

Five sucked in a sharp breath and stumbled forward, practically falling into his brother. Klaus grabbed him, holding his weight up easily, and kept him in a close hug. Vanya lurched forward, a half aborted motion that she decided on going through with, and she crushed herself against the two, burying her face in Five's filthy hair. Allison gasped, a sharp and painful noise, and Diego slowly approached them, hovering on the side like a stubborn, caring bodyguard. Luther watched from his place beside Allison, eyes wide.

Five extracted himself from his brother and sister, looking as he sluggishly swiped tears from his eyes, "I...I...think I'm going to pass out."

That was the only warning they received before he dropped like a stone. Vanya and Klaus both lunged forward to grab him, missing by mere centimeters. Diego was faster, scooping up their now-younger sibling in his arms. He looked torn, somewhere between thrilled and horrified, and carried Five close to his chest.

Allison let out a shuddering breath, and they could all practically see her switch into mom mode.

"Food. For the love of...he needs food." She pursed her lips, already heading for the door that led inside the house, "And water. Vanya, help me in the kitchen? Luther, get a warm, damp rag. Something soft. It's not a shower but it'll get some of the gunk off his face. Diego, here, put him on the couch."

She was off like a whirlwind, her siblings following closely behind and desperately trying to keep up.

* * *

Klaus kept vigil over Five while he dozed on the couch, everyone else off to find food and whatever the hell else Allison had demanded they need. Ben perched on the arm of the couch the boy slept on, eyes locked solely on their smaller brother.

"I can't believe...he...he needs a hug." Ben frowned, "I want to  _hug_ him."

The living Hargeeves frowned, trying to avoid looking Ben in the eye. Klaus knew what he'd find; a bone-deep sadness in a spirit that didn't even possess bones. He was way too sober and way too emotional to deal with both Five's return and Ben's existential ghost crisis. 

"He looks so small...what happened to him?" Ben gave Five a critical once over, "He looks like he hasn't eaten in months."

Klaus frowned, "Well if we find whoever's responsible, we'll have Diego throw knives at 'em."

Ben gave him an admonishing look. Klaus just gave him a shit-eating grin in response.

Five stirred on the couch, "...'laus?"

He was off his chair in a second, skirt swishing as he made his way over to his little brother. Kneeling down by the couch, he dabbed the damp rag on the boy's forehead as Allison had instructed.

"Hey, shortie." Klaus nearly cooed as Five's bleary eyes blinked up at them, "Back with us?"

"Klaus?" Five muttered, his eyebrows drawing together.

"Yup, it's your best big bro. You, uh, need anything? Everyone else is kinda scrambling around and you had a fever so Allison and Luther went to pick up some children's Tylenol or something, so. I'm the only one here to, uh, babysit."

"I don't need a babysitter." He turned his head, his hair damp from sweat, "I...feel like shit."

"Yeah, that's why you need a babysitter, short stack." Klaus laughed, "Don't know why the left me to it, though."

Five watched him intently for a moment, eyes hazy but clear enough, and he shrugged, "Glad they did."

Klaus felt his chest tighten and he swore up and down that  _he'd_ throw knives at whoever cause their brother's suffering  _with_ Diego. Fuck, he was awful with this emotional bullshit. He had more experience getting high than dealing with his long-lost baby brother.

"Hey, where's Ben?" Five struggled to sit up, "He wasn't with you guys earlier. I...I need to tell him he was right. I was stupid...time travel was...shit. It was shit. The future was shit."

The boy cursed softly, scratching his elbow and glancing away. Klaus felt his heart drop into his stomach; Five didn't know about Ben. He let his eyes wander over to the ghost in question and found his brother's hands clenched into fists like he was trying to stop himself from reaching for the boy.

"You're not stupid, Five." Ben's voice was soft, a whisper, and it sounded pained.

"Five, you...you still got a fever, okay? Go back to sleep. Rest. Tell us all about the shit future when you wake up."

The younger's eyes were already drooping, and he stifled a yawn, "But...Ben-"

"We'll talk when you wake up." Klaus's voice was firmer than he could remember it being for a long time.

Ben's hand shot out, groping for Five's own, and even though the ghost passed right through their younger brother, Five seemed to calm down. His eyes shut again, and Klaus hit the floor ass first when he sat down. He gripped his hair tightly for a second. Five...he couldn't...he couldn't let anyone hurt his little brother. Not anymore.

" _Fuck_."

His ghostly companion merely nodded in agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little short, but more is coming. And Klaus and Diego are the Best Big Brother Duo, okay? You can not change my mind. Also, Allison is clearly a Mom so she's got this shit on lock.


	2. shatter like glass

Allison sat the bag down in the kitchen, leaning against the counter as Vanya spread peanut butter on two slices of bread and shoved marshmallows between them. Diego chopped an apple on the countertop, making even slices in a matter of seconds.

"You really should use a cutting board." Allison looked at him critically, "Mom wouldn't want gashes on the counter."

He grimaced, "Whatever. Five'll need something more nutritious than...that."

Vanya glanced up to see him looking at the sandwich she made critically, "It's his favorite. He needs comfort!"

"He  _needs_ nutrition." Diego huffed, removing a block of cheese from the fridge and grabbing a cutting board on his way back.

"Peanut butter is a good source of protein." The woman protested, "This is whole wheat bread, too. Just because there are marshmallows-"

"Guys." Allison interrupted, "I'm sure he'll eat whatever you make him. Take the food to the living room, I'll get the medicine."

They left without much hassle, Diego muttering scathing remarks as they retreated to where Five was still passed out of the couch with Klaus. Allison opened the Walmart sack, bringing out a bottle of children's Tylenol and vitamins. They were the Flintstone ones, the kind Claire loved. Putting aside her own heartbreak, she put one tablet from each bottle in a small medicine cup and poured a glass of orange juice before following her siblings out.

Five was propped up on Klaus, head lolling onto his elder brother's shoulder, the junkie sending him concerned looks every five seconds. He seemed barely conscious, probably having just been woken up by Diego and Vanya. Her sister was cutting the sandwich in half while Five slowly came to, eyes becoming more alert as he took in his surroundings.

"Here." Vanya's voice was soft as she handed him half the sandwich, "Eat slowly-"

It was too late. The boy had already grabbed it from her hands, inhaling it in ten seconds flat. Allison blinked, moving forward and setting the juice and medicine on the table. Diego grabbed the plate from Vanya's hands, using the knife to cut the sandwich into small pieces.

"Give them to him one at a time." Diego glanced at her, "He's starved. Eating too fast will make him sick."

"It won't." Five frowned, eyes locked on the plate, "I haven't had bread  _or_ peanut butter in a year, give me the plate."

"You heard Diego." Vanya smiled softly, handing him a bite-sized piece, "We also have apples and cheese-"

Five's face went green before she could finish, "No! No cheese!"

"Why not?" Diego raised a single eyebrow, "Good source of calcium-"

"Fuck calcium." Five croaked, glaring at the cheese cubes like it they'd personally insulted him, "I've been drinking curdled milk and eating moldy cheese for six months. Never again."

"Excuse me?"

"What?"

The demands came from Allison and Diego at the same time, but Vanya only took a seat on her younger brother's unoccupied side and rubbed circles into his shoulder soothingly, "It's okay. You don't have to eat it. Diego, could you get some crackers? Maybe some nuts, too. There were almonds in the counter above the stove."

He didn't protest for once and left without a word, leaving the apple but taking the cheese with him. Five seemed torn between leaning into Klaus or Vanya, but his brother solved that dilemma for him by practically draping an arm and half his body over Five  _and_ Vanya's shoulders. Allison relaxed, he shoulders drooping, and she passed the juice and cup into her brother's waiting hands.

"Drink all of that. That's Tylenol and a vitamin in the cup."

He downed them both, not even bothering to chew the gummy, and took the orange juice like a shot. It was so...Five. He'd always drank his beverages like that, like he was taking a shot of alcohol. They'd all laugh about it at dinner, occasionally getting in trouble with their dad for giggling. At one point Allison was certain he'd made the motion over dramatic solely to make them laugh.

Five handed the glass back to Allison, looking around with big eyes, "How long has it been?"

Vanya glanced away, grimacing, "Seventeen years."

The boy's expression trembled, "It's only been about a year for me. I...I tried to get back."

"Five, what happened?" Allison grabbed his hand from where she'd scooted a chair close to the couch.

Heavy footsteps came down the hall right as Diego came back to the living room with a cup full of almonds and a bunch of crackers on a plate. Luther entered the room, expression tightening when he saw their brother, so little a frail, sitting on the couch. Diego sneered at him, hissing something as he passed, and Luther just glared in response. Allison had half a mind to beat them both over the head.

"I...what's the date?" He looked up, eyes dark and serious, "The exact date."

"March 24th, 2019." Luther responded before pressing the same question as Allison, "What happened? We need to know, we can help you-"

"I time traveled myself all the way to the fucking apocalypse." Five looked down at his lap, face haunted in a way they'd never seen before, "I tried to get back...I did. You know that right?"

His face turned to them, eyes desperate, but no one could say anything. His face slowly crumpled and he looked back down, choking out a small, "Oh."

Allison's heart cracked, and she tried to hastily make up for the silence, "We didn't know where you'd gone. It was seventeen years, Five, we were so scared something had happened to you."

"We missed you." Vanya's arm tightened around the boy, and he sunk into her side, "I waited up every night, you know? Hoping you'd come back. Scared if you saw the lights off, you'd think no one was home. That you'd leave again."

"When I got to the future...everything was on fire. I don't know exactly how far I jumped, how long the world had been like that, but it had to be relatively soon after it happened. I found...I..." He choked, eye flushing with tears, "I found your bodies. You were all together. Everyone but...but Vanya, and Ben. I-where  _is_ Ben? I want to see him."

* * *

Klaus felt his arm tighten a fraction from where he laid it across Vanya and Five's shoulders, the woman noticing how his fingers grabbed her a little tighter. She glanced over, concern shining in her eyes along with her usual melancholy, but everything else was drowned out by the ringing silence that followed their brother's words. They'd all...died. 

"Five..." Luther sighed, "Listen...Ben is-"

"Stop him. Stop him right now or I swear if he makes things worse I'll find a way to become corporeal and-" Ben growled angrily, and Klaus hastened to cut Number One off.

"Five, buddy, Ben had an accident a while ago. It was on a mission." Klaus removed his arm from his sibling's shoulders, turning to face his brother directly, "He died."

The boy's face shuttered, practically going blank, and he sunk back into Vanya's side with a small nod, "Was it...was it bad?"

"Do  _not_ tell him." Ben demanded, "He doesn't need to know that. Klaus,  _please_ -"

"No." Klaus gave him a weak smile, "It was quick. He...didn't suffer."

The silence lingered, no one willing to tell the truth. Five's lip trembled. He'd never cried as a kid, only that one time when they were nine and their dad had him try to spatial jump from a roof to the ground. He'd been too far up and fallen hard, breaking his arm and leg. He'd cried silently into mom's apron. The apocalypse...Klaus assumed he'd be crying too if he'd been in Five's place. Probably a lot more than he was.

Klaus sighed, preparing to move away to escape whatever the fuck this had turned into, but Five's smaller hand darted out and grabbed his forearm before he could move. His eyes were wide and his brow was drawn.

"Don't go." He insisted, before meekly tacking on, "Please."

"You heard him." Ben glared at him from where he was still propped up on the sofa arm, "Hug him. He needs another one."

Klaus sighed, resigned to his fate, and tucked himself back beside Five. Vanya sent him another look, and Klaus decided maybe he'd put the book behind him and talk to the woman. His sister. It's not like he'd exactly been a great brother to her, either. Besides, if he wanted to protect Five he'd have to be around her more seeing as the boy was glued to her hip right now.

"Can you tell us more about the apocalypse?" Luther dismissed the other vein of conversation, "How it happened? Any clues?"

" _Or_ , here's an idea, we let our brother who just time traveled his way back from hell rest." Diego snapped, finally passing Five the apple and almonds.

"Now _that's_ an idea!" Klaus pointed at Diego with a broad grin.

The knife thrower sent their hulking brother a triumphant grin, but Allison just sighed, "Really? You have  _Klaus_ on your side. Not exactly a vote of confidence for any plan."

"Exactly." Luther sent her an appreciative glance, "You're listening to the...the junkie here?"

A small pang resonated in his chest, and he saw Ben glare out of the corner of his eye. He was about to wave it off with a joke, something to make himself laugh and forget he was the  _useless junkie_ of the family. 

"I agree with them, though." Vanya insisted softly before Klaus could open his mouth, "And he is your brother. You could stand to be a little nicer."

Diego huffed, "Not that  _you_ can say much about how to treat family...but she's right. On  _both_ accounts."

"I always liked Vanya and Diego better." Ben informed him imperiously, sending a loathing look at Allison and Luther, "Even if I think you should lay off on having weed for breakfast, they can fuck off."

Five had merely accepted the crackers from Diego, shoving them in his mouth three at a time, and had watched the argument happen like he was watching a tennis match. He was still sandwiched between himself and Vanya, though, so Klaus counted that as them winning.

"If you must know, I found out the date the apocalypse happens." Five glanced up at them, still numb from grief and slightly annoyed at the arguing, "We have eight days."

"Wow." Klaus giggled, "April 1st. That is  _painfully_ ironic."

Vanya let out a small, strained noise off stress as the room exploded into noise. Klaus reached up and put a hand on her shoulder again, earning him a small smile from her and a broad grin from Ben.

"Okay, okay!" Luther shouted above the noise, "We can focus on this later. We still need to have a memorial for dad."

Diego scoffed loudly, "Wow, you really got your priorities in order, huh?"

In the end, they all gathered outside to watch Luther pour the ashes in a big, wet heap on the ground. Five, pressed against Klaus' side to share the pink umbrella he'd nabbed, let out a long-suffering sigh. Vanya, who was on their left, and Diego, who was on their right, let out similar noises. 

"Probably would've been better with some wind." He closed the urn, looking down at the ash pile.

Allison glanced away, looking as if she were contemplating pulling a Mary Poppins and flying away on her fucking umbrella. Klaus could relate.

"Does anyone wish to speak?" Pogo looked around at them all, the grown-up children and Grace, briefly looking over Five, before he nodded, "Very well. In all regards, Sir Reginald Hargreeves made me what I am today. For that alone, I shall forever be in his debt. He was my master and my friend and I shall miss him very much. He leaves behind a complicated legacy-"

"You mean he was a monster." Diego interrupted, "He was a bad person and a worse father."

Klaus gave wheezy laugh, holding his cigarette tightly. Five rolled his eyes, glancing around, clearly eager to get out of the cold, wet courtyard.

"The world is better off without him." 

"Diego-" Allison interrupted sharply.

"My  _name_ is Number Two. Know why? Because our  _father_ couldn't be bothered to give us actual names. He had mom do it."

"Would anyone like something to eat?" Grace interrupted, a tense and confused smile on her face, "I can make cookies."

"No, mom, it's okay." Vanya gave her a strange look.

"Oh...okay." Grace gave a small nod, voice quiet.

"Look, you wanna pay your respects, fine." Diego approached the pile of ashes, "But at least be honest about the kind of man he was."

"You should stop talking now." Luther's voice was filled with thinly veiled anger.

Diego turned, staring him down, "You know, you of all people should be on my side here, Number  _One_."

"I am warning you-"

"After everything he did to you, he had to ship you a million miles away-"

"Diego,  _stop talking_ -!"

"That's how much," Diego jammed a finger in Luther's chest, "He couldn't stand the  _sight_ of you!"

Luther pushed him away, the two throwing punches almost immediately. Vanya grabbed their mom, pulling her away. Allison rolled her eyes, sharing a look with her sister. Klaus just grabbed Five by the shoulder, dragging him backward. The boy didn't protest.

"This is going to end badly," Ben muttered.

"Oh yeah, tell me about it." Klaus laughed quietly, taking another drag of his cigarette. Five glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Stop it!" Vanya insisted, taking a step forward.

"Hit him!" Klaus jeered, laughing as Diego socked their full-of-it brother in the face.

"Klaus!" Vanya turned to him, eyes sad, "Really?"

He faltered for a moment, shrugging. Pogo shook his head, turning around and taking Grace inside with him. Everything ended when Diego dodged a punch, leading to Luther sending Ben's statue falling to the ground. The head popped off and rolled.

"And  _there_ goes Ben's statue." Allison spared them an annoyed look before she turned around and left.

"Sorry, Ben," Klaus muttered off to the side, glancing at where his brother stood with a deadpan expression.

"Yeah, no, it's fine." Ben sighed, "The statue didn't do me justice anyway."

"We don't have time for this." Five hissed out, "Come on."

He grabbed both Vanya and Klaus by the arm, dragging them out of the courtyard, yelling over his shoulder, "Diego! Hurry up!"

Klaus looked behind him long enough to see Diego pocket the knife he'd pulled out, close on their heels with nothing more than a glare back towards Luther. Five led them back into the kitchen, scouring through the cabinets. 

"Do you want more food?" Vanya piped up, sliding into a chair beside Klaus, "I can make you another sandwich."

"No, I want coffee." Five reached up and grabbed the container on top of the fridge, "Of course it's empty."

Diego sat across from Vanya, giving her a cold look.

"Dad hated coffee, you know that." Allison said, leaning against the door frame, "And nicely done, Diego. What a great funeral."

He just flipped her off, making Klaus snort.

"Dad hated kids too, but he had plenty of us." Klaus laughed, even making Vanya crack a small grin.

Allison looked at him, disappointed. Diego twirled a knife between his fingers, smiling.

"I'm taking the car." Five sighed, moving as if to spatial jump. Vanya grabbed his arm before he could. 

"What? Where are you going?"

"I'm going to get a decent cup of coffee. I'll be right back." 

"Yup, that's Five alright." Deigo groaned, "Listen, I'll drive you. No way you're going out alone."

"Yay, breakfast!" Klaus cheered, "I want waffles. Maybe some bacon..."

"Vanya, will you come?" Five looked at her.

She seemed hesitant, "I have...rehearsal tomorrow...and I'm giving lessons..."

He widened his eyes slightly, brow furrowing downward.

"I...yeah, I'll go."

Klaus was impressed. That was some of the best puppy dog eyes he'd seen in a  _long_ time.

"Try not to get child protective services called on us." Allison sighed, "Five still looks like he's been rolling around in a landfill."

"Not a landfill, the apocalypse." He responded, following the three older siblings out to Diego's car.

* * *

A tow-truck driver was pulling out of Griddy's Doughnuts right as Diego pulled in. The three of them go out, Five from the front passenger seat and Vanya and Klaus from the back seat. Klaus had been yammering the entire ride, both to Vanya and the rest of them and to the empty seat on his left side. Diego didn't question it; his brother could talk to the dead and, beyond that, he didn't want any details.

He almost felt bad for the poor woman working as they approached the counter; Five really did look like he'd been through an apocalypse, Vanya seemed entirely normal if not jittery, Klaus looked like a mess in a skirt and eyeliner, and Diego  _was_ wearing all leather with knives visibly strapped to him. They must've made for an odd sight.

"Hi...what can I get you all?" The woman, Agnes, smiled hesitantly.

"Ohhh...no waffles, but I suppose I'll settle. A strawberry filled doughnut...no...chocolate with cream filling. No, both!" Klaus smiled, "There's no alcohol here so...I'll have an orange juice."

The waitress blinked at him, hastily writing down the order before turning to Vanya, "For you, miss?"

"A coffee, two creams and two sugars. I'll have a glazed doughnut as well." 

"Coffee, black." Five smiled what he probably thought was pleasantly, and Diego noted to tell him to never do it again.

"You should eat something." Vanya looked at the waitress, "He'll also take a blueberry muffin and a glazed doughnut."

"I'm not hungry." Five complained before pausing when all three of his siblings gave him disbelieving looks, "Okay, I'll take the muffin and doughnut."

"I'll take water and a bran muffin." Diego passed the woman his card, "All on one bill."

"Oh, thanks, Diego!" Klaus smiled widely, "Despite your absolutely boring order, you're paying! I might not make fun of you for that now!"

"You just did." Their younger brother pointed out, grabbing a sugar packet and ripping it open. He poured it straight into his mouth.

" _Tell me_ you don't do that with salt." Klaus scrunched his nose up.

"Of course not." Five scoffed, grabbing another packet.

Vanya snatched it from his hands, "Why...you can't just...eat pure sugar."

"Sure I can. Only reason I didn't pass out sometimes." Five shrugged, "I'd hunt around old restaurants and even though most of the food was mush and mold, the sugar was usually safe in the packets."

Diego felt his heart wither and knew Vanya and Klaus were experiencing the same things by the looks on their faces.

"You...don't have to worry about that anymore." Vanya choked out, eyes welling up slightly, "I'll cook for you if you want. You can stay at my place."

"I won't be staying anywhere if we don't find out what causes the end of times." Five hunched over slightly, resting his elbows on the counter as the woman brought their drinks and food to them. 

She handed Diego's card back with his receipt. Best money Diego has spent in a while. Five downed his coffee quickly, devouring his food before Klaus had even finished cutting his doughnut in half with a knife. Their waitress disappeared into the back room.

"Do you have any ideas?" Vanya shifted uncomfortably, "Any leads whatsoever?"

Five reached into his pocket, pulling out a prosthetic eyeball. Klaus snorted into his orange juice.

"Who's head did you yank that out of?" Diego swiped it from his younger brother, turning it over, "There's a serial number on the back."

"Exactly." Five nodded, "Meritech. That was gripped in Luther's hand when I...when I found you all. I think it belonged to the person who started the apocalypse."

"They can look up the number at the main building. We'll go with you. Right guys?" Vanya looked up, brown eyes pleading.

"Yeah. For Five." Diego responded, taking a sip of water.

Her face fell slightly and he almost felt bad. Instead, he ignored the little reminder that he'd deserved what she'd said in her book, deserved that accusation of leaving her behind. They did, after all. They all did. Every single one of them except Ben and Five. Then Five was gone and Ben died and...who else, exactly, did Vanya have? He pushed those intrusions away and instead gave back into the anger. She'd stripped their lives bare for everyone to read. She had  _no right_.

"Well, how much will I get paid-?" Klaus playfully smiled but didn't get the chance to finish because Five's smile dropped and Diego kicked his brother sharply in the shin, "I-I mean, of course, if my little brother needs me, I'll be there!"

The door opened, the little bell above it jingling, and Diego glanced at the bell on the counter. In its reflection, he saw seven men slowly gathering around them, guns in hand. Diego tensed, grabbing the knife strapped to his thigh. He knew his siblings heard the slow footsteps too because they stopped talking, freezing in place.

"We just want the kid."

Five's eyes widened, and Vanya wrapped an arm around him, shaking her head, "Why? He's just our brother, he hasn't done anything-!"

"He's not supposed to be here." The leader looked at him, eyes narrowing, "Come quietly. Unless you wanna be the reason your sister gets her brains blown out?"

He aimed the gun right at Vanya's forehead. Her breath caught, strangled in her throat, but she kept a steel tight grip on Five. All thoughts of bitter anger and resentment flew from his head when he saw his sister, his  _sister_ , about to get a bullet in her head. Diego gripped the knife in his hand tightly.

"You won't be touching either of them." He growled, tossing the knife and grabbing Vanya by the shoulder at the same time. 

He yanked his sister backward, carrying Five along with her, and shoved her down below the counter. Pushing Klaus down too, he jumped over to evade the spray of bullets. He pulled several knives from his person, handing one to each of his siblings.

"Do  _not_ fucking die." He looked them each in the eye, "Do you hear me?"

Before he finished talking, Five had jumped from behind the counter to the main area of the shop, sitting on one of the tables, "Hey, assholes!"

"Fuck,  _what did I just say_?" Diego leaped out from the counter, jumping the first guy he saw and sending a knife into their jugular. 

Two down. Five to go. Five jumped behind another one, tapping him on the shoulder before he was gone in another flash. The guy spun around, shooting one of his own men as Diego grabbed him by the shoulder, pulling him back against him and slitting his throat. Klaus leaped out from the counter, tossing the knife uselessly into the fray before deciding to chuck plates at the men, sending glass shattering everywhere. He nailed one right in the face, making him drop his gun and stumble as the dishware broke his nose. Klaus ducked once more as several shots were fired his way.

Diego grabbed the guy that had fallen, snapping his neck right as he heard Five scream. One of the guys had grabbed him by the back of his dirty jacket, but Five still had the knife Diego had given him. Five scrambled to the counter and the guy grabbed him again, but Klaus reached up and pushed the guy off their brother. Together they managed to hold him down and, Diego was pretty certain he was hallucinating here, Vanya popped up with her blade in hand and swung it right through his eye and into his brain. She yelped a little as blood went flying and, still shaking, she grabbed Five and pulled him to safety. One more to handle. 

The guy was shaking slightly but still tried to fire his gun. Diego dodged it, yanking the firearm from his hands and tossing it away. He had no more knives so he punched the guy in the face and picked up a glass shard from one of the shattered plates on the ground. Jamming it in his jugular, Diego rushed over to the counter, climbing over it and dropping down to where his three siblings were huddled. Klaus was pale, holding a hand over Vanya's shoulder where blood was gushing out at an alarming rate. Five's forearm was openly bleeding, having been sliced by the broken glass as he'd tried to escape.

Diego crouched by Vanya, feeling her neck to check her pulse. It was still steady despite her breathing being too fast, and Diego forced himself to calm down. He grabbed a rag from under the counter and shooed Klaus away, pressing it to her shoulder. He tossed another one to Five for his arm.

"Hold this here." He told her before he scooped her up, nodding towards the door, "Hurry up, the police will be here soon."

He deposited his sister in the back of the car where Klaus and Five both sat with her. Slamming his door shut, he pulled out of Griddy's at a speed that was definitely over the speed limit.

"Hospital isn't an option, we just killed seven people." Diego called to the passengers behind him, "We can go to my place-"

"814 North Hempstead." Vanya gasped out from the backseat, "My apartment. I have a huge first aid kit."

The tires of his car squealed on the road as he made a sharp turn, getting all the way to her apartment in under two minutes when it should've taken ten. Luckily, it was night and the roads were mostly clear. He jerked open the back door, letting Kalus scramble out before he reached in and grabbed his sister, taking the keys she'd yanked from her pocket and tossing them to Klaus. Their brother ran ahead up the stairs, making sure the door was already open for them when they made it up. Five collapsed in a chair, eyes hazy, and Diego deposited Vanya on her sofa, making sure her head was rested against the pillow.

"Found it!" Klaus yelled from the bathroom, coming back waving the kit in hand.

Vanya gripped Diego's arm with her free hand, "Five first. It's a nasty cut, he's a kid and underweight. He could bleed out. Stich him up then worry about me."

He hated to leave her, bullet wound and all, but she was right. Five was already phasing in and out of consciousness, and Diego moved fast. Klaus helped him peel the kid's shitty jacket off and got him water to wash out the wound. He disinfected it with rubbing alcohol before he carefully stitched the cut closed, wrapping some ace bandages around it to stem the rest of the bleeding. He left Five with Klaus, the boy laid across his elder brother's lap as he babbled in his sleep, clearly having a fitful time. He moved over to Vanya, who was sweating buckets, her labored breaths coming out short and she pressed the blood-soaked rag to her shoulder. He cut off her shirt around the wound with a blade,  grimacing at the broken skin and bloody mess that showed.

"The bullet went clean through. You're lucky, that's good." He rinsed the open wound with water and alcohol, making her hiss in pain, "I'm going to stitch it closed. This is gonna fucking hurt. You want something to bite on?"

She nodded shortly, and Diego grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch, handing it to her. Once it was clenched in her teeth, he pulled the needle and thread through the skin, hating the soft noises of pain his sister made as he did so. Tears slipped down her face, sobs making her entire body shudder as he tied the string off. He repeated the process with the exit wound before taping cotton pads over both sides, wrapping the entire thing in bandages. 

"Hey, it's okay. I'm done." He pursed his lips, carefully pulling her into a hug, "We'll get you a sling. Your shoulder's gonna hurt like hell for the next few weeks."

"I won't be able to play." She whispered, her voice wobbly, "I...I  _know_ it's stupid to even mention it but...violin is all I'm good at. It's the only _use_ I have."

Her voice was so small, so sad, and Diego's chest clenched. It sounded like the kind of shit their father would've spewed at his kids, "It's  _not_ , Vanya. Violin is not all you're good for."

He helped her lay back, her eyes fluttering closed as she fell asleep. He glanced at Klaus, who looked at them with big eyes.

"Those guys were after Five." Diego's fists clenched, "They wanted to  _kill_ our brother. They shot  _Vanya_."

"So...I believe fun family murder time is called for?" Klaus gave a weak smile, and Diego huffed out a short breathy laugh through his nose. 

"Yeah. I think so." He sighed, sitting in a chair beside his brother, "We'll get them back to the house tomorrow. Mom can look over my stitch job, give them some pain meds. They'll be fine."

Klaus nodded slightly, carding his fingers through Five's filthy hair, "We need to get this twerp to take a shower."

Diego laughed, looking around their sister's apartment. It was...decorated, but still empty in soul. Like someone who doesn't really know how to have a home. His heart sank in his chest. They were all just broken kids who grew up to be broken adults. Easily shattered, no easily put back together. He glanced at little Five, curled vulnerably into his older brother, and then at Vanya, sleeping silently with tear tracks slowly drying on her face.

He'd still protect them, no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternative Title: The One Where The Commission Accidentally Stops the Apocalypse By Bringing The Hargreeves Together for Murder.
> 
> Warning, my first aid knowledge is non-existent. So...go to a hospital is you get shot. Don't be like the Hargreeves. We have protective Big Bro Diego, Concerned Bro Klaus, and an Injured Vanya and Five.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I had a lot of fun writing it! Don't worry, more suffering is to come courtesy of Hazel and Cha-Cha!


	3. warning sign

Ghosts flashed across his vision as he struggled to wake up. He saw Klaus, dead and glassy-eyed. Allison, her visage peaceful as if she were just sleeping. Luther, stiff in post-mortem, offering up the glass eye like an offering. Diego, face covered in dried blood and arm crushed under rubble. What haunted him most was the ones he couldn't find; Vanya, his small sister who cared so much about everyone and Ben, his closest confidant and best friend. What had happened to them? Where were they, crushed under more rubble or trapped somewhere away from their family, still living and slowly dying. 

Five woke up screaming.

Hands were on his shoulders, and two faces swam in his vision above him. Klaus and Diego.

"Hey, bud, hey. You're fine." Klaus spoke in a soothing tone, "You're with us, we're at Vanya's apartment, remember?"

Vanya's...apartment? He sat up too fast from where he'd been laying on Klaus, jolting his arm to catch himself before he fell to the ground. White hot pain ripped up the offending limb, setting his entire forearm on fire, and he cradled it to his chest. Diego entered his sight, kneeling down as five slid to the floor, the hardwood cold underneath him. 

"Were you back there?" There was a small crease between his brother's brows, worry showing on his face, "The apocalypse?"

Five nodded shortly, gaze wandering over to where Vanya laid on the couch, still as a corpse. Terror shot through him, but Klaus and Diego wouldn't be so calm if she were dead, right? His brother followed his gaze and Diego picked him up by his armpits, sitting him in the large chair beside Klaus. He was so tiny he fit easily, smashed against his brother who wrapped a careful arm around his shoulders. 

"She's fine." Klaus caught on when he saw him keep peeking glances at their sister, "Diego stitched her up, she's going to be totally fine. We're gonna take her and you both to mom later. You know, when it's  _not_ five in the morning."

Five glanced at the clock on Vanya's mantle, the red numbers flashing back at him. He'd woken them up.

"Sorry." He said briskly, hunkering down in the chair.

"I wasn't asleep." Diego shrugged, "Kept getting up to check on her."

"Yeah, and I was pretty out, but it's all good." Klaus shrugged, yawning, "I chugged the NyQuil Vanya had in her cabinet so I'm good to go. Don't worry, I'll buy her more."

"You mean  _I'll_ buy her more." Diego stood up, heading into the small kitchenette that shared space with the living room.

"Bingo, mi hermano!" Klaus grinned, shooting finger guns at his retreating back.

Five pressed his face into Klaus' shoulder, closing his eyes against the nausea that rose up from the pain in his arm. There was a small clattering noise and footsteps coming towards them, probably Diego returning. He peeked out, narrowing his eyes at the water being offered.

"I got you a nausea pill, too. Van had an old prescription in her cabinet, figured it'd work just as good. No pain meds, though." Diego handed him the water and medicine, watching him down it before he set the cup on the coffee table in front of them. 

"Don't need it." Five grouched, curling back into his brother's warmth, "Dulls my powers."

"Right." Diego sighed, "Listen, do you know who those men were?"

A shiver ran up his spine and he shook his head, whispering, "No."

Diego cursed under his breath, "So we have no idea why they want you."

"They said I didn't belong here. You know what that means." Five clenched his hands together to stop them shaking, "They want to send me back to the future. To the apocalypse."

"Well, that's not going to happen." Klaus shrugged flippantly.

"It's not safe." Glancing away, Five gnawed on the inside of his cheek, "They shot Vanya. They would've killed all of you. You can't protect me, not if it means you dying."

"The hell we can't." Diego scoffed, "Whoever they are, the next people they send will end up the exact same. Dead. No one fucks with my family, got it?"

"He's right." The slightly slurred words came from the couch, "We're with you, Five." 

Vanya was awake, brown eyes boring into them as she tried to sit up with her good arm. She winced, and Diego took three quick steps over to the couch to help her up. She rested against a pillow, keeping her arm carefully placed so as not to jostle her shoulder.

"We're family." She looked down, stealing glances at Klaus and Diego from the corner of her eye, "Even if...even if we don't always act like it. Or someone screws up. Even if you guys hate me I want to help."

She ended on a died out whisper, and Five tilted his head in confusion, " _Hate_ you? Why the hell-?"

"We don't hate you, Vanya." Diego's voice was quiet but stern.

"You act like you do." She responded, voice soft and sad.

"I was mad...am mad." He admitted easily, "More than a little bitter, too. If I'm being honest, though, we deserved it. Treated you like shit, left you out. The only people you really talked to were dead and missing."

He stole a glance at Five before he turned to her again, "If you need to be forgiven, okay. Apology accepted. I'm sorry, too, for being an asshole."

Her eyes were wide and teary, and she smiled shakily, "Apology accepted."

Five tilted his head, "Why-? What are you both apologizing for?"

"I wrote a book." Her voice was soft and vulnerable, "About our childhoods. A tell all about my adolescence."

"Oh." Five raised his eyebrows, "Bet that went over well."

Klaus snorted out a laugh and Diego smiled slightly. Vanya's shoulders relaxed.

"We still don't know who those people were, then?" She asked, sending a concerned look to their smaller brother, "Or why they want Five?"

"No. Which  _means_ we have to be on our guard." Diego sent Klaus a look, "That means no two in the morning drug runs."

"W-what?" Klaus sputtered, "Come  _on_ -!"

Five gripped his brother tightly with his good arm and, just like that, Klaus relented.

"Okay. Fine." He sighed, leaning back in the chair, "No two in the morning drug runs."

"We might sober you up yet." Diego sighed, practically collapsing in his own chair, "We need some kind of plan."

"Most important is to protect Five." Vanya looked at them seriously, "Without him, we don't have a chance at stopping the apocalypse."

"No, no." Diego shook his head, "This isn't a _we_  thing. You are staying safe, which means out of whatever this is."

Her jaw set, a stubbornness on her face that Five had never seen before, "He's my brother, too. I'm a part of this family. Whether you like it or not I  _am_ helping."

"You did just say you felt bad about leaving her out." Klaus pointed out, a droll smile on his face.

"Yeah, of games we played as kids!" Diego looked at her, torn between pleading and annoyed, "This isn't a game, V. You got  _shot_. This is not an insult when I say it, but you don't have powers. You can't protect yourself from these kinds of people, not to mention you're seriously injured right now. If we try to worry about you when we're fighting, someone is gonna die."

She swallowed, sitting back. Her face told them all she knew Diego was right.

"Just..." She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment, "Keep me updated. Please. I know I can't fight, I know I'm  _ordinary_ , but I still want to know what's going on."

Diego visibly relaxed, "Yeah, okay. We can do that."

"Let's...Let's all go back to sleep." She leaned her head back, "We can talk more when we wake up."

"Do you wanna go to your room, or-?" Diego raised an eyebrow.

"I'll stay out here with you guys."

* * *

"This was the last place they dispatched field agents." Cha Cha slid her sunglasses up, looking over the building.

The cops had already swarmed the place and were long gone, dead bodies in tow. She and Hazel stepped over the shattered glass, making their way into the shot up doughnut shop. A woman in a pink waitress dress was trying in vain to clean up, though not much could be done for the bullet holes.

"Hello, miss." Hazel smiled when she looked up, clearly startled, "Agnes, is it?"

She glanced down at her name stitched into her uniform and nodded slowly, "Yes...Yes, um, what is it? We're, uh, closed for tonight."

"We can see that." Cha Cha took a step towards her, "My partner and I are private investigators. We're looking for a kid, he was kidnapped. We heard someone matching that description might've been here tonight when the shooting took place? You gotta understand his parents are _very_ concerned."

"Oh!" She blinked, her brows furrowing, "Yeah, poor thing, he looked pretty rough. Super tiny, malnourished from the looks of it. Wasn't even cleaned up! His clothes were all torn and he was a mess."

"Was he here alone?" Hazel asked, "Or were there others?"

"Three people, adults. Some strange ones, too. The woman, she was sweet and shy, but the men were a bit off. One guy was dressed in leather and had a bunch of knives on him. The other was...eccentric. Asked for alcohol, right in front of the kid! I mean, can you believe that?"

"Really? How awful." Hazel glanced back at his partner, "Do you remember their names?"

"The man who paid was named something...something Spanish. Diego, maybe?"

Cha Cha looked around the place, "And the kid?"

"I don't recall, I'm sorry." Agnes smiled in a sympathetic manner before blinking, "Oh! I do remember the boys all had matching tattoos! Thought that was pretty weird. I mean, who lets a kid get a tattoo?"

"Could you draw that for us?" Hazel handed her a pen from his pocket, "Anything would help."

"Oh, of course!" She doodled it out on her pad before ripping the paper off and handing it to them.

An umbrella encased in a circle.

"Thank you for your cooperation." Hazel smiled at her, getting a slight upturn of the lips in return.

"Let's go." Cha Cha nodded at the door and the two retreated to their car.

* * *

Vanya stood on shaky legs, tapping Five's shoulder with a light hand. They'd slept until eleven, the sun now high in the sky, and they needed to leave soon. She really needed to get Five in the bath, though. They couldn't keep hauling him around when he looked like a garbage monster. 

He stared up at her, sleep still in the corners of his eyes, and she laughed at the way his hair stuck up, "You want to take a bath?"

"With warm, running water?"

She blinked at the question, "Uh, yes?"

"Of course I do." He disentangled himself from Klaus carefully, looking at her expectantly as he stood up.

"Hey, are you...okay?" She asked as she led him to her tiny bathroom, "I mean...those guys tried to kill you."

He was quiet, hands shoved in the pockets of his too big, too dirty coat, "I'm scared."

The words were timid, as he if were admitting some great sin. She knew why, too. Reginald Hargeeves  _never_ tolerated fear of any kind. It was one of the worst offenses his children could commit. Her heart fractured a little more and she wrapped her good arm around him, leaning down to do so, and gave him a gentle squeeze. An awkward one-armed hug, for sure, but better than nothing.

"That's okay." She whispered, "It's okay to be afraid. You're...God, Five, you're thirteen."

"Fourteen." He corrected.

"Whatever," She shook her head, "They tried to...to  _kill_ you. It's okay to be scared of that."

"Not until this is over. I can be scared after we stop the apocalypse." He wrapped his arms around himself, "After I save you all."

She didn't ask who 'you all' was but she knew. His brothers and sisters, his family. Their ghosts still haunted him even when they were breathing.

They walked down a short hallway and Vanya pushed the door open.

She turned on the warm water and helped him unwrap his arm, "Wash it carefully. Don't pull your stitches."

Returning to the kitchen, she grabbed bowls and picked out some cereal. Dumping some Rice Krispies into each one, she sat the milk on the table and grabbed a bowl of fruit. She didn't have much, she usually grabbed breakfast on the way to rehearsal. She...wouldn't be doing that for a while, she thought, ever-conscious of her aching shoulder. It wasn't her bow arm, luckily, but resting the violin on that shoulder would be painful for some time. As soon as it was healed enough she would play, though. No matter what Diego said, it really was all she was good at. All she had.

"Ooh! Cereal!" Klaus plopped himself in one of her kitchen chairs, "Wow, I thought you would eat Raisin Bran or something like that."

She smiled at him as he began scooping up handfuls of the cereal, eating it dry, "No, that's Diego."

"Wait, what's Diego?" 

"Eating boring food," Klaus said through a mouthful of cereal.

Diego sat on the other side of the small, square table, an eyebrow raised. Vanya watched with vague horror as Klaus picked up the carton of milk and poured some directly in his cereal filled mouth. 

"You clearly haven't eaten breakfast with Klaus recently." Diego snorted, "It's worse if he has waffles. I don't let him eat those around me anymore."

Klaus swallowed, pouting, "He's cruel, V. Absolutely cruel."

Well...maybe violin wasn't the only thing she had. Not anymore.

It was around that time Five padded into the room, no shoes on and hair still damp. He wore his frayed-at-the edge jeans and a long-sleeved blue shirt that was surprisingly intact after being through the literal apocalypse. His jacket was folded over his arm, the black coat stained with dirt and blood, and he had a purple scarf folded up inside it. Vanya hadn't seen that before; he must've kept it tucked inside the jacket. He looked like a haunted little kid. Then again, that's exactly what he was.

"I'll grab a uniform when we get back to the house." He informed them, laying his jacket and scarf on the counter, "Is this Rice Krispies cereal?"

"Yup." Vanya smiled, "Our favorite as kids."

"Dad wouldn't let us have it, but mom and Pogo would sneak us bowls in our rooms." He grinned, grabbing the open carton of milk right out of Klaus' hand, "Great, I'm starving."

"Hey!" Klaus yelped, "I was using that!"

"You should've poured it in the bowl like a normal person, then." Diego shrugged, "Besides, the kid has dibs. He's been through an apocalypse."

They ate in relative silence, ignoring Klaus as he ate that weird weed chocolate with his cereal, enjoying the sounds of the lively city outside. Cars honking, people yelling, the usual. Then, of course, someone knocked on the door. Diego's head snapped up, holding out a hand to motion for his siblings to stay put, slipping out a knife from its holster. Vanya held her breath as he approached the door, seeing Five's pale face and grabbing his hand for reassurance. Only a kid and people were actively trying to assassinate him. Vanya honestly wanted to  _scream_ at God. 

They watched as Diego opened the door, knife at the ready.

"Hi, I'm Leonard, nice to...meet you?" The man at the door blinked in confusion, "Um, is Miss Vanya here? I'm her eleven-thirty lesson."

"Oh!" Vanya gasped, jumping out of her chair, "Oh, sorry. I...I completely forgot."

"It's okay." His gaze slid down to her shoulder, brows drawing in concern, "What happened to your arm?"

"Nothing." Diego took a subtle step in front of her.

"Who are you?" Leonard raised an eyebrow.

"He's my brother. And yeah, just an accident from yesterday. I won't be able to play for a while. We can reschedule your lesson, I'll probably be able to manage by the end of next week. Would that work?"

"I can learn if you just tell me what to do." He smiled sheepishly, "I know I'm probably older than most of your students, but I'd like to learn. Sorry if that's...weird."

"Oh, no. Of course not." Vanya sent him a small smile, "If you love music it's never too late to learn."

"Well, the music lover was my dad." Leonard huffed out a short laugh, "He passed recently. Guess I'm just here to...I don't know, maybe understand him? We had a, uh, difficult relationship."

Vanya could relate. Oh, how she could relate.

"Of course. I'm afraid I'll still have to reschedule, I have to take my brothers back home." She gave a tense smile, "I really am sorry."

"Could we do later today?" Her would-be student looked perfectly kind and eager to learn, "I really wanted to get started."

"I...yes, perhaps." Vanya sighed, relenting, "I can do five o'clock? I can't rehearse like this, so I'll be home." 

"Perfect." He gave a small wave, "See you then, Miss Vanya."

Diego watched him leave with a critical eye, shutting the door firmly after him, "I don't like him."

"What?" Vanya gave an incredulous laugh, "He was nice."

"He was a creep." Her brother corrected, " _Miss_ Vanya? And he seemed pretty eager to see you today."

Frustration built up in her chest. Was it that impossible that someone  _wanted_ her instruction? Wanted her guidance, her help? Wanted to spend time with her?

"Just, call me before he gets here and after he leaves." Diego sighed, "You're injured and if he is a creep, text me during the lesson. I'll kick his ass."

"He means he'll kill him." Klaus corrected with a broad grin, "Don't worry, don't worry, Five and I will help!"

Or maybe they were just worried.

"Besides, you're supposed to be with us today." Five frowned slightly, "Remember?"

And maybe they actually wanted to spend time with her. Who would've guessed?

* * *

Allison was all over them the minute they walked through the door. Klaus watched her herd Vanya and Five into the living room, looking over their stitches before yelling upstairs for their mom.

"You didn't come home last night!" She sighed, tugging at the ends of her hair, "We were worried sick."

Luther nodded, "You could've called."

"Well, we were a little busy." Diego replied testily, "Klaus and I had it covered."

"Did you need something, dears?" Grace asked as she descended the stairs, serene smile in place.

"Could you look over these stitches?" Diego nodded at their two siblings sat on the couch, "Vanya and Five got hurt pretty bad."

She froze and her smile twitched, "I'm...I'll...I'll go make some cookies. You all look hungry."

Nodding to herself, she turned around and headed for the kitchen.

Allison watched her go with a baffled expression, "Something is wrong with mom."

"She probably just needs to, you know, recharge. It was hectic last night." Diego dismissed it, "What did you think?"

"They look fine." Allison shrugged, "No redness beyond what's normal. No puss or signs of infection. They should heal just fine."

"Who did this?" Luther sat in a chair across, "Do you think it could be related to dad's murder-?"

"Dad wasn't  _murdered_." Diego snapped, "These people were after five. Said he shouldn't be here."

"As in...time travel." Allison breathed, her face paling, "You think they have something to do with the apocalypse?"

"Whoever they are, they're clearly scared Five is gonna stop it." Diego looked at Luther, "That proof enough for you?"

"I never doubted him!" Luther glared, "I just wanted all the information-!"

"I need to see Claire." Allison pursed her lips, "I need to be with my daughter."

"There are people trying to kill your  _brother_!" Diego looked at her incredulously, "Besides, if we don't stop the apocalypse, we'll all be dead in, what, seven days now?"

She released a deep breath, averting her eyes, "I  _know_ , I know. I...we need to protect Five. We can't let them touch him. Or Vanya, for that matter, I can't believe they shot you!"

She looked at her sister sadly, and Klaus saw Vanya preen lightly under the attention. Shit, they'd really ignored her their entire lives, hadn't they? Took her getting shot to get them to actually give a fuck about her.

"This  _could_ have something to do with the moon." Luther looked at them all, eyes bright, "Think about it, why would dad send me up there? He had me monitoring  _everything_. If I can find his research, it might help!"

Klaus wanted a drink right about now. He slipped a few pills in his mouth, swallowing them easily. High would work too. He guessed at least Luther was trying to help, which was more than they could say for the not-so-gentle giant usually. 

"I'll ask Pogo." He stood up, heading for the stairs.

"We're going to Meritech." Five stood up, nodding at Klaus, Diego, and Vanya, "I have a lead on a glass eye from the future. I think it could help."

"Oh, no. No, no, no." Allison stood up, grabbing her coat, "No way you guys are going anywhere without me. Not after what happened last night. I'll go with you."

"But guys!" Klaus sat up, looking at them intently, "We need a cover story."

Allison rolled her eyes, sitting back down.

"Listen, listen." Klaus waved his hands, "We'll be Five's parents."

"Um... _all_ of us?" Vanya blinked, "I don't think...do you  _know_ how reproduction works?"

"Yes!" He waved a dismissive hand at the looks he got, "Allison and Vanya, you two will pose as a couple that wanted a child. You went for the artificial route, you know, and ended up getting the stuff from a guy who  _happened_ to be married to another guy! So now the four of us share custody!"

"That...you know, I can really tell you ate weed chocolate this morning." Diego pinched the bridge of his nose, "That's horrific."

"I really thought you were gonna go the step parents route, but when do you do anything that's expected." Allison sighed.

"How about we don't provide a backstory and just ask about the eye." Vanya gave him a placating look, "It'd be...simpler.  _And_ less disturbing."

"Agreed." Allison stood up, "Let's go. I'll drive."

"Um, no." Diego rattled his keys in front of her face, "My car. I drive."

She grabbed them out of his hand before he could even blink, "Too bad I have the keys now."

"God, you don't even have to rumor people to get what you want!" Diego griped as they went out the door, "Allison, it's  _my car_."

"And I  _don't care_." She responded, flashing him a dazzling smile, "Everyone hop in."

Klaus cackled all the way to Meritech. Turns out Allison drives a car as recklessly as she drives her own life.

"You know, I'm really concerned about the complete lack of safety going on right now." Ben spoke up, his spirit squished between Five and Klaus, "Vanya and Five are hurt. They shouldn't be jostled this much. Not to mention we could get in a wreck."

"You're already dead." Klaus chuckled again to himself, whispering the words.

"Wow." Ben fake winced, a hand reaching up to grip where his heart would be, "Low blow."

Five glanced at him, eyebrow raised, and Klaus just grinned.

Allison pulled in to a parking spot outside the building, turning the ignition off. Diego grabbed the keys from her hand, face pale, "Never again."

"Oh, come on." She whined, getting out of the car, "I'm not that bad."

"I saw my life flash before my eyes at least  _four_ times."

"You're exaggerating."

"I'm not."

"I don't think you can talk about safety, Batman. Aren't you a full-time vigilante?" She mocked, heading for the entrance.

Diego scoffed, "Okay, first of all, I'm way cooler than Batman. He doesn't even have _powers_ , have you read the comics?"

"You wish." She laughed, going up to the front desk and leaning down to speak to the very enchanted young man who was acting as the receptionist, "Hi, we're looking to talk to someone about a glass eye? We found it on the playground."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Say what you will, but Allison is definitely That Bitch™ and for sure always gets what she wants. ESPECIALLY from her siblings, she ain't even gotta rumor them.
> 
> Also, please consider~  
> Nobody:  
> Literally no one:  
> Luther: ThE MoON iT Has TO Be tHE mOoN, I wAs THeRe for FoUR YeArs!
> 
> And btw, the warning sign in the chapter title is Leonard. Diego knows what's going on to an extent, he's gonna fuck that boys shit up.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Throwing a little Allison in the mix, lol. Let me know what you guys think!


	4. unburn the ashes

Five wasn't sure  _what_ he expected, getting four of his siblings involved in this Meritech shit show. Things seemed to be going well, they were led back to an office with clear glass walls, a man standing up to shake their hands and greet them. Lance Biggs was his name, some bigshot executive who was quickly becoming tiresome. 

"And just where did you get that eye, young man?"

"I found it on the playground, actually." Five forced a smile, "Must've just... _popped_ out."

He heard Diego snort behind him. 

"Well, we can't disclose information about patients, it's all very confidential. Thank you for returning it though, I'm sure the owner will appreciate you and your, uh..."

"Parents." Klaus leaned forward with a broad smile on his face, "We're his parents."

Biggs blinked, probably in confusion, "Um, yes, your parents. I'm sure they'll appreciate you all very much."

He reached out as if to take the eye from Five's hand, but the boy jerked it back with a sneer, "You aren't  _touching_ this eye. Just  _tell us_ who it belongs to."

"Now, listen here young man-"

"Call me young man  _one more time_ and I will put your head through the damn glass wall." Five growled.

Allison stood up quickly, putting a hand on Five's shoulder, "We're sorry, sir-"

"Just rumor him." Diego rolled his eyes, "Make this easier on all of us."

She winced visibly, "I don't  _do_ that anymore."

Five jerked his shoulder out of her grip and rounded on the man again, planting his hands on the man's desk with a glare, "I have been through things your pea brain couldn't even comprehend and you don't intimidate me. Just tell us who the eye belongs to, and we'll be on our merry way."

"I don't have the patient's consent to divulge that information."

"We don't know who they are." Diego twirled a pen from the man's desk between his fingers, "How 'bout you look them up so we can get their consent."

He threw the sharpened pencil, it stabbing the desk about a centimeter from Biggs' hand. Diego stood up, crossing his arms. The man jumped slightly, eyes wide.

"I _will_ call security-!" The executive reached for the phone, but Klaus was faster.

"How  _dare_ you!" Their brother gasped dramatically, grabbing the desk phone, receiver and all, and pulling it away from the desk.

"What?" Biggs asked, an eyebrow raised.

"What?" His siblings echoed behind him.

"You talk about the patient's consent?" Klaus gripped his chest, "What about  _my_ consent?" 

"E-excuse me?" The executive's eyes darted between Diego and Klaus.

"Who gave you permission to  _lay your hands_ on my husband?" His voice was dramatically upset, his tone quivering.

"I didn't touch your, uh, husband."

"Oh really?" Klaus stood up slowly, "How'd he get that swollen lip, then?"

Diego, who'd been getting progressively annoyed as the conversation went on, looked at his brother with wide eyes, "I swear to God-"

Klaus hauled off and punched him right in the face. Vanya yelped, jumping out of her chair. Allison sighed, taking a seat again.

"I want it. Name, please, now." Klaus leaned on the man's desk much like Five had earlier.

"Who the hell are you?" Biggs's eyes were bugging out of his head, staring where he'd punched Diego.

Klaus picked up a snow globe, "Oh, peace on Earth. How sweet."

He then proceeded to smash the damn thing over his head. Five could already feel a migraine coming on.

The glass shattered all down his face, collecting in his hair, and blood dripped down his forehead, " _God_ that hurt."

Diego snarled, prodding his busted lip, "It's gonna hurt a lot more when I bash your face in-!"

He kicked at Klaus' knees, but their brother just jumped back, laughing. He accidentally knocked Vanya into the desk, startling Biggs who slammed his knee into the back of it, sending a stapler flying and hitting Allison square in the forehead from where she sat. She cursed loudly, hands flying to the red mark on her face, practically hissing at her brothers. 

"This is going about how I thought it would." Vanya grabbed Five by the shoulder, pulling him to safety.

"Our family is a shit show." The boy grimly announced, watching the ensuing screaming match.

"Yeah, but they're our family." Vanya shrugged in a 'what-can-you-do' kind of way, "We're stuck with them, better or worse."

Biggs snatched the phone that Klaus had dropped back on the desk when he sucker-punched Diego. 

"Security-!"

Klaus yanked it from his hands, "There's been an assault in Mr. Biggs's office! Get here now, _schnow_!" He dropped the phone back on the receiver with that last line of gibberish, "Here's what's gonna happen. They're gonna come in here, see a lot of blood, and we're gonna tell them how you didn't like an answer you got and...well, beat the ever-living shit out of us. So you're gonna look that serial up for us and we'll drop any...hypothetical charges."

"You're crazy." Biggs breathed out, eyes wide.

"You got no idea." Klaus said with a straight face, a single drop of blood running from his forehead down the bridge of his nose, splattering against the pristine white floor. 

* * *

"I'd be impressed if I didn't get punched in the face for it," Diego said, pushing the door open, "That hurt like a bitch, for the record."

"I mean, I'm very impressed. I really am inspiring." Klaus grinned, glitter flakes and blood still plastered on his face like some macabre festival makeup. 

Vanya tutted silently, pulling a tissue from her pocket and passing it to their brother.

"We didn't even get a name." Five grumbled, the eyeball rolling around in his pocket still, "It hasn't been manufactured yet. Bullshit."

"Hey, language." Allison huffed, "And if you  _ever_ hit me with a stapler again, Diego, so help me God-!"

" _I_ didn't hit you!" He grumbled, lip still bleeding, "You say that like I purposefully picked the stapler up and beat you with it. I'm a victim here."

"No, you tried to kick Klaus and it ended up backfiring."

"He punched me in the face." Diego stopped, pointing at his lip, "Do you see this?"

"Stop being a  _baby_ ,Diego." Klaus rolled his eyes, "It was all for the end goal. For  _Five_."

"Don't use me as an excuse." The boy said shortly, continuing to walk to the car without them.

Diego hustled to catch up, sliding into the driver's seat before Allison could even think about it. Instead, she entered the passenger seat, shooting him a dirty look. Five and Klaus clambered into the back, Klaus shoving Five against the window so he could sit in the middle, Vanya taking the other seat beside him.

"What do we do next?" Allison rested her arm along the rest by the window, "Was that the only lead we have?"

"Currently, yes." Five sighed, "I...don't know anything else."

"Well, we'll figure it out." Vanya leaned over Klaus to give Five an imploring look, only slightly wincing when her shoulder was jostled, "We will. It'll all be okay, Five."

"What if we can't stop it?" Five's voice dropped to a whisper, "I thought the eye was the key. I...I failed."

"Hey, none of that failing shit." Diego huffed, "We still got a week."

"More like six days." Their younger brother grumbled.

"Close enough, we'll make it work." Vanya assured him.

"We should head back to the house. Maybe Luther actually did find something useful about the moon." Allison piped up, ignoring the groan from Diego and Klaus' laughing in the back, "Hey, guys, seriously. He might have found something. I know you don't...agree with him, but he's our brother."

"Who hero-worships dad even when the bastard's long dead." Diego scowled, "He never gave a shit about us, Luther included, yet our  _brother_ is still lodged up the old man's ass."

"Allison is right." Vanya muttered, "Dad was...cruel. We all know that. We were kids, though, and him, mom, and Pogo were all we had. Luther got more attached to dad just like you were more attached to mom."

"Mom took care of us, raised us. That bastard  _abused_ us."

"I mean, I agree with Diego here." Klaus piped up, drawing attention, "I could've gone without getting locked in a mausoleum with a bunch of corpses."

Allison frowned, her brows creasing in either sadness or disappointment, and Vanya looked down as if reminded she wasn't the only one who got a load of dad's shit constantly. 

"Well, then." Allison swallowed before briskly continuing, "Two against one. Five?"

"I'm more inclined to stop the apocalypse at the moment." Five gave a sarcastic smile, "Could we decide on forgiving our brother or not after we ensure we'll be alive to do it?"

"He's also got a point." Klaus shrugged, "Let's go with stopping the whole end of times thing for now."

"Just get us back home. This means a family meeting." Allison sent a glare Diego's way, " _No_ fighting."

" _No_ promises." Her brother quipped back, totally deadpan. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Not dead! Also,,,is Luther redemption coming? IDK Diego might punch him in the face first, but then they might BOTH punch Leonard in the face. So.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this! A little short, but new chap will be out soon!


End file.
